Sometimes I get tired of eating meat. This recipe for Roasted Vegetable Lasagna fits the bill for a meatless dinner. It’s rich and creamy and full of healthy veggies. The roasting method removes lots of the liquid content in the vegetables so you don’t end up with a watery lasagna, and gives this dish a nice caramelized taste. I made two versions, one with pesto and one without. The consensus was that the pesto version was more flavorful. Both were very good, but if you want more depth to your lasagna, add the pesto. I made these in individual baking dishes, so each dish is a nice sized personal portion.
Start with assorted washed vegetables. Here I have zucchini, yellow squash, mini red peppers, and carrots.
Peel and cut veggies into short strips.
Slice a shallot. Add shallot to cut veggies.
Add fresh Thyme and extra virgin olive oil and toss.
Set oven to 425° F and roast for 25 minutes or until tender.
This is my favorite all-purpose flour. You will need 4 tablespoons of this to make the Bechamel sauce.
Melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a small saucepan.
Immediately start whisking the butter and flour over medium-low heat.
Whisk until smooth. This will take about 5 minutes. Now, slowly add 4 cups of 2% or whole milk.
Whisk constantly to make sure you do not have a lumpy sauce.
Bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat and continue to cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until desired thickness. Season with salt, pepper and a good sized pinch of grated nutmeg. If you are using your bechamel sauce for dishes that will be baked, then you do not want a sauce that is too thick. The baking process will continue to thicken the sauce.
Butter your baking dish.
If you are not using homemade pasta for your Lasagna, then I recommend using Barilla Oven-Ready Lasagne. There’s no need to boil that pasta. I do dip each sheet in water, just to make sure there’s enough moisture to cook it thoroughly. What I like about using the Barilla brand, is that once cooked, the pasta comes out nice and thin like homemade pasta.
Place the first sheet of pasta to your baking dish. You may have to cut it to size to fit. Then add the first layer of roasted vegetables.
Add enough bechamel to lightly cover the vegetables.
Add freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Now add another layer of pasta,
and repeat the process.
Once you get to the last layer, add some pesto sauce.
After the pesto, add one more layer of bechamel, and then add mozzarella slices,
and some more grated parmesan.
Pop them into the preheated oven at 350° F and bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until done.
Once done, remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Ready to serve. Enjoy!
| Vegetable Lasagna | Print |
- 2 zucchini
- 2 yellow squash
- 3 carrots
- 4 mini red and orange bell peppers
- 1 shallot
- Fresh thyme, about 3 sprigs
- salt
- pepper
- 1 box Barilla Oven-Ready Lasagne pasta
- 1 container of fresh mini Mozzarella balls
- Fresh Pesto sauce
- Bechamel Sauce Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- generous pinch of grated nutmeg
- salt & pepper to taste
- Wash and peel the vegetables. Cut veggies into small strips. When cutting the mini bell peppers, make sure to remove the seeds. Thinly slice a shallot. Place all vegetables on baking sheet, add the sliced shallot, fresh thyme, salt, pepper and toss with olive oil.
- Preheat oven to 425° F. Roast veggies for 25 minutes or until tender.
- For the Bechamel sauce, Melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a small saucepan. Immediately start whisking the butter and flour over medium-low heat. Whisk until smooth. This will take about 5 minutes. Now, slowly add 4 cups of 2% or whole milk. Bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat and continue to cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until desired thickness. Season with salt, pepper and a good sized pinch of grated nutmeg. If you are using your bechamel sauce for dishes that will be baked, then you do not want a sauce that is too thick. The baking process will continue to thicken the sauce.
- Butter your baking dish.
- If using Barilla Oven-Ready Lasagne pasta, quickly dip each sheet of pasta in cold water.
- Place the first sheet of pasta to your baking dish. You may have to cut it to size to fit. Then add the first layer of roasted vegetables.
- Add Bechamel to lightly cover the vegetables. Add freshly grated parmesan cheese. Now add another layer of pasta, and repeat the process. Once you get to the last layer, add some pesto sauce. After the pesto, add one more layer of bechamel, and then add mozzarella slices, and more grated parmesan cheese.
- Pop them into the preheated oven at 350° F and bake for 35 - 40 minutes, or until done.
- Once done, remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
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